It didn't take long for NBC to bring up Deflategate during its teleconference on Tuesday previewing the network's coverage of Super Bowl XLIX.

In his opening remarks, NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus said, "The Seahawks and the Patriots and the stars on both teams, the matchups, the legacies that are on the line, are all a part of the story we are telling. Of course, there's the league's ongoing investigation into the Patriots and we are covering it all week on Pro Football Talk on the NBC Sports Network.

"We are prepared to address it Sunday with all of the facts that are known at that time. It's still a developing and fluid story and information is changing daily."

The controversy, now in its second week, will likely make this the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, and while NBC is saying it would rather talk X's and O's instead of what did Tom Brady and Bill Belichick know and when did they know it, secretly the network has to love all the extra hype this potential scandal has given Sunday's game.

With or without Deflategate, this was always going to be the biggest day for advertising revenue in television history.

A 30-second ad is going for $4.5 million.

There's going to be plenty of money made, but NBC and the NFL are business partners and Deflategate isn't good for the NFL brand.

It could be very good for NBC, and yet the peacock network must walk a fine line in needing to intertwine the controversy with the game without giving it too much airtime.

"More people are talking about this game and it's for unfortunate reasons," Lazarus said. "We'd much rather be talking about football."

Al Michaels, who will work his ninth Super Bowl, said he won't shy away from the issue, but won't dwell on it either.

"By the time we get to Sunday, the narrative could be different than it is right now and if there's something brand new, we'll express how we feel about it and what the facts are, but we're not going to rehash everything that has taken place over the past two weeks," Michaels said.

Color analyst Cris Collinsworth, working his third Super Bowl, said it'll be uncomfortable having to broach the subject during pregame conversations with the players and coaches.

"Nobody likes to challenge and have to take on people, especially when it comes to something so personal as this," Collinsworth said. "You're talking about accusing somebody of lying and accusing someone of cheating.

"From my own personal standpoint, I want to see the facts and the full due process. I want to see the whole thing. We're going to ask the questions when we're in there with Belichick and Brady. We'll ask the questions like we always do."

As everyone knows, it has been a brutal season for the NFL in the public relations department, and how network announcers handled the Ray Rice situation, among other crises, has brought increased scrutiny. Michaels and Collinsworth were criticized by some for their positive comments about Roger Goodell during the Ravens-Pats playoff game a few weeks ago.

That game was played two days after the release of the Mueller Report, which found that Goodell had not seen the Ray Rice elevator tape before it went viral. Goodell was at the game and shown on camera, and Michaels and Collinsworth weighed in.

"We had about 25 seconds to say a report came out and here are some of the facts," Michaels said. "We had to acknowledge Goodell was at the game. I understand there are a lot of people who have a lot of animus toward Roger and no matter what the report said, they don't want to believe Goodell and they don't want to like Goodell.

"But at some point, I can't sit there and say 'Here's what the Mueller report said, so maybe Mueller's a liar.' I can't do that."

Collinsworth said: "I get frustrated when it's front-page news when a guy gets accused of something and then it's only on page 47 when the former head of the FBI comes out and says, 'No, he didn't lie.' That was the whole thing. Did Roger Goodell lie about seeing the in-the-elevator video or not? I never thought he lied about the video. The Mueller report backed that up.

"Did he handle it perfectly? No, and I said that, too."

As for the current controversy, Collinsworth said he never even considered the possibility that you could cheat with the football.

"Could the Super Bowl really be brought to its knees by a few pounds per square inch inside a football?" Collinsworth said. "That's exactly what's been happening and we'll deal with it like everyone else has. The investigation is very detailed and it's working its way up the ladder. We'll see where it's going, but I don't think we'll see it in any shape or form before the Super Bowl.

"We're going to be playing a guessing game like everyone else about what's going to happen afterward when it comes to suspensions, fines, salary-cap hits and loss of draft picks. I can honestly say that after playing in the NFL for eight years and broadcasting for 25, I never considered the possibility there could be a controversy over the football itself."

Did you know?

NBC's pregame coverage Sunday will stretch for six hours, beginning at noon. There will be interviews with halftime star Katy Perry and President Barack Obama. One of the most interesting segments might be figure skating commentators Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski spending time with the wives of the Patriots and Seahawks. Also, a feature on the legacy of the late Pat Tillman figures to stand out.

KEITH'S CAN'T MISS … What else but the big game and the commercials? Here's hoping they're better than they've been in recent years. Which one might draw the most water-cooler conversation? The Carl Jr.'s advertisement is a top contender.